


Safe and Sound

by giantpanda



Series: What if... [9]
Category: The Good Doctor (TV 2017)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:01:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,121
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26106127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giantpanda/pseuds/giantpanda
Summary: Claire and Neil got a chance to talk before going to the fundraiser.
Relationships: Claire Browne/Neil Melendez
Series: What if... [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799092
Comments: 36
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter One

Neil had lost track of how long he had been staring at the scans on his computer. He needed to focus so that he could figure out what was wrong with his patient. Instead, his mind kept drifting back to Claire. There was a fundraiser at the brewery of one of their former patients, and while Neil looked forward to the chance to drink away some of his feelings, Claire would be there as well. He wondered if she would bring Dash with her.

He hadn’t gotten a chance to speak to her since he had told her that she made him a better surgeon and person. He realized as soon as he said it, that he was overstepping the platonic boundaries they had. If he was honest with himself, he hadn’t felt platonic with her since before Dash had shown up, he just hadn’t wanted to admit it. An attending falling for his resident. He was turning into a cliché.

He wondered if Claire had asked not to work with him or it was just a coincidence. He had thought of asking Audrey but wasn’t prepared to answer the questions she would have. He needed to push these feelings that he had for Claire away, but he wasn’t sure how. He wasn’t looking forward to spending the evening watching her with another man. He had no right to be jealous, she thought they were just friends, but he hated that someone else was the one making her happy.

He thought about their relationship and how it had evolved from when they first started working together. He had always found her attractive, but as he got to know her and see the compassion she had and her skill as a surgeon, his respect for her grew. They slowly developed a friendship that continued to grow as they started to meet outside of work. That had been his mistake. If he had kept things strictly professional, maybe he wouldn’t have fallen for her. The runs, dinner, going bowling, learning more about her, spending more time with her caused him to fall in love with her.

He shook his head trying to push her from his thoughts. He was on his way to his third heartbreak in as many years and she had no idea. He had to figure out a way that he could still support her and mentor her without his feelings getting in the way. Even if he couldn’t be the one to make her happy, he still valued their relationship.

A knock at his door was a welcome distraction until he looked up and saw Claire standing there. He sighed as he motioned for her to come in.

“Do you have a minute?” she asked.

“Of course,” he answered.

He frowned as she sat down in the chair in front of his desk. She twisted her hands together as if she were nervous to talk to him. He wondered if she wanted to say something about him crossing the line telling her how she made him a better person. He hated the thought that he had done something to make her uncomfortable.

“Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yes.” She smiled at him, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Are you going to the fundraiser tonight?”

“Yeah,” he said, confused about why she was asking. He hesitated a moment before asking, “Are you going with Dash?”

“No,” she said making a face. “We decided that we were better as friends.”

“Are you okay?”

“It was my idea,” she sighed. “It was nice hanging out with him again, but it also felt weird, like I was waiting for Kayla to walk in the door and take her spot beside him.”

He was relieved that she was no longer with Dash but wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. He was still her boss. It would be inappropriate for him to suggest that they were to go on a date. He didn’t want to put her in a position where she felt she had to do something she didn’t want. She had stopped fidgeting with her hands and had started to twist her hair around her finger. He couldn’t figure out why she seemed so nervous.

“Are you sure you’re okay? You know you can talk to me.”

“I know,” she said, “Things with Dash didn’t end just because of Kayla.”

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. “Why else?”

“I have,” she took a deep breath, “I have feelings for someone else.”

The relief he had felt earlier vanished. He looked down at his desk unable to look at her for a moment. He almost regretted their friendship because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to handle supporting her through another relationship. Whoever it was, was very lucky to have Claire’s love.

Fighting not to let his disappointment show, he asked, “Have you told them?”

She shook her head, “No, it’s complicated.”

He thought back to their conversation in the locker room that led to her calling Dash. Even if it broke his heart, he wanted her to be happy. Even if that meant he would continue to be miserable.

“It doesn’t have to be. You should tell him.”

He glanced back at his computer, expecting her to leave to go share her feelings with whoever the lucky person was. 

“He’s my boss,” she said softly.

He felt as if his heart skipped a beat as he took in her words. She had been talking about him. He was the lucky one. She was right, it was incredibly complicated, but somehow, they would be able to figure it out. He had been so sure that it was one sided and he felt immense relief knowing that she felt it too.

“I’m sorry,” she said standing, “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

She turned to leave, and he realized that she had taken his silence for rejection.

“Claire wait,” he said standing to catch up to her. He felt guilty when she turned, and he saw the tears in her eyes and realized he was the one that put them there. “I’m glad you did.” Unable to resist teasing her and hoping to chase away the tears, he added, “Marcus is married so that might be a problem.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re ridiculous,” she said fighting a smile. “I might have to take it back.”

He took a step closer to her, mindful of the fact that they were still at work and in his office where anyone could see them.

“Please, don’t do that,” he said, his gaze drifting to her lips briefly. “It’s not just you who has feelings.”

Her face lit up in brilliant smile, her relief clear. “What do we do?”

“I have no idea.”

He didn’t know what their next steps should be, or even if there should be next steps. He knew what he wanted to do, but also knew there were a lot of risks for them both. It would be harder on her. He wondered if they would be able to wait until she finished her residency, but that also seemed like so much wasted time. Instead of thinking about that, he focused on Claire. Neither one knew what to do, but they were basking in the knowledge that they both cared for each other.

“Maybe we can talk tonight?” she suggested.

“Okay,” he agreed. “I look forward to it.”

She smiled, “Me too. I’ll see you there.”

He watched her as she walked out of his office and then went back to his desk. He glanced at his computer and tried to force himself to work. Now he was distracted for a different reason. He couldn’t wait until the were able to talk tonight.


	2. Chapter Two

After leaving Neil’s office, Claire felt a buzz of excitement and nervousness. She had been trying to get the courage to tell him about her feelings since talking with her therapist and ending things with Dash. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been assigned to work with him and he seemed to be avoiding her. When Neil hadn’t said anything when she said she had feelings for him, she thought her worst fear was coming true and she had ruined everything. She was relieved that he felt something between them too. 

Of course, she had no idea what their next steps should be. She knew what she wanted but wasn’t sure if he would want the same thing. They would either need to keep things the same and ignore their growing feelings or declare their relationship for the whole hospital to gossip about. She wasn’t a fan of either option but knew that she really didn’t want to take a chance of not having him beside her. She thought it might be worth the risk.

The rest of her shift went by in a blur as she thought about what could happen at the brewery. She knew that Dr. Glassman would be there and possibly Shaun as they had all been the doctors on Marta’s case, but she wasn’t sure if others from the hospital would be there after seeing the flyers for the fundraiser. She knew that her and Neil would still need to be careful, yet she couldn’t wait to talk with him and see what he wanted them to do as well.

Once she got home, she showered and went to pick out an outfit to wear. She picked out various dresses and skirts as she tried to pick out something to make an impression. She sighed as she threw another dress down on the ground. She told herself that Neil wouldn’t care, and that it wasn’t a date. She went through a few options before settling on a dark green dress.

She thought about calling her therapist to tell her that she finally did what she had been telling her to do their last few sessions. They had discussed why she needed to tell Neil her feelings, even if she thought it was best to ignore them. They had talked about all of Claire’s fears and the possible risks connected to work. She wanted to tell her therapist that she had been right, Neil had feelings for her as well.

As she waited on her uber, she gave herself a few minutes to think about all the possible outcomes. Her and Neil creating a family together, her losing her job, him ending up hating her, her losing her best friend. She took a few deep breaths as her therapist taught her. It wouldn’t help to think the worst. Right now, she had to focus on getting herself ready to talk with him. And deep down she knew Neil wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.

The drive to the brewery wasn’t too long and her uber driver kept up a steady stream of conversation but didn’t seem to expect her to participate. She felt the butterflies in her stomach growing as the driver pulled up in front of the bar. She thanked him and took a few steadying breaths before entering the bar. 

She looked around and was a little overwhelmed by the number of people who were already there. She didn’t see Neil or Dr. Glassman. She made her way to the bar to get a drink as she continued to scan the crowd. As she waited for her drink, she felt a hand brush against her back. She turned and found Neil standing beside her.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

“Thank you,” she said with a smile. She picked up her drink and looked at him. “You look good too. Although you always do.”

“Thanks,” he said. “Do you want to find a table?”

“Sure,” she said following him.

He found them a spot where they were further away from the music but could still see the rest of the brewery. They stood close enough where they would be able to hear each other, but not close enough that any rumors would be started if someone from the hospital saw them.

“Aaron and Shaun went to take a tour of the brewery.”

“You didn’t want to go?”

“I thought it would be more fun to spend time with you.”

She smiled as she took a sip of her drink. She hoped that it would settle her nerves. It was ridiculous that she was nervous around him. They had known each other for years, had grown closer these past few months, and he was her best friend. And maybe that was the problem. Even though this was what she wanted, she was taking a big risk. She wasn’t sure if she would survive losing him.

“I’m nervous,” she admitted with a sigh.

“Me too.” He covered her hand with his. “I’m really glad you said something.”

She glanced down at his hand. “I’ve been trying to find the time for a while. I thought you were avoiding me.”

He squeezed her hand. “And I thought you asked not to work with me.”

“Idiots,” she said with a smile.

She took another sip of her drink as she looked around to see if she recognized anyone. Neil still had his hand against hers and was gently caressing her wrist. She was tempted to move closer to him, but they still hadn’t discussed what they were going to do.

“What do you think we should do?” she asked.

“The smart answer would be nothing.”

“The not so smart one?”

“That one would involve me kissing you.”

She leaned towards him, “I wouldn’t mind.”

He smiled at her. “Later. When we don’t have so many people watching us.”

Something for her to look forward to. “What about work?”

He sighed. “The last thing I want is to make things harder for you. But I don’t know if I can pretend anymore that we’re just friends.”

She intertwined their hands. “Neither can I.” She took a deep breath wanting to tell him what she had realized weeks ago. “Neil, I…”

She was cut off as the room started shaking. She heard others start yelling and things crashing to the floor. Neil tugged on her hand and pulled her under the table. He kept her tucked against him, protecting her with his body. She had thought before what it would be felt like to be held by him, but had never pictured it like this. She wrapped her arms around him trying to figure out how to protect him as well.

She had never been in an earthquake before and was terrified of the destruction she could hear all around them. She focused on the feeling of safety she felt being in his arms. She lost all sense of time with how long the earthquake went on for. After what felt like hours, the shaking stopped. She tried to get up, but Neil kept her against him for a few more seconds to make sure it was over.

“Are you okay?” he asked pulling with him as he stood.

She nodded. “You?”

“I’m fine.”

She took a moment to check him for any injuries. He had kept her safe and she wanted to make sure he really was okay. Her hands shook and she reached out for him.

“Hey,” he said, as he took her hands. “We’re okay.”

She nodded, trusting him. He took out his phone to call the hospital to make sure people were on the way. She looked around at all the destruction and she could hear the cries of pain around her. She moved away from him and knelt to help the people near them.

The rest of the evening moved in a blur as they helped as many people as they could. Thankfully Dr. Lim and the others arrived and were able to bring the supplies they needed. She was mindful of where Neil was as she worked, wanting to keep him close by in case of aftershocks. There were so many people to help, she was just grateful that they were both okay.


	3. Chapter Three

It had been a while since Neil had been involved with a disaster of this magnitude and typically, he hadn’t been in the middle of it when it happened. He had stayed at the brewery helping those around him, grateful that Claire was okay. He could tell that she was still shaken by what happened but as always, she showed her strength by pushing through.

He was most impressed by her ingenuity when she used a beer engine to make a cell saver for Marta while they did surgery on her. He had gone to the hospital with Marta. He couldn’t wait until things settled down and he would get a chance to talk to Claire again. As far as he knew she was still at the brewery while he worked with Marcus on the numerous surgeries that needed to be done.

They had been on the brink of changing everything between them when the earthquake struck, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she had been about to tell him. Unfortunately, with the number of patients needing attention he didn’t get a chance to think too much about it. He knew what he hoped she had been about to say and looked forward to finishing that conversation.

He saw Aaron as he walked back into the ER but was pulled away before he could ask about Claire. Thankfully, he was available for an ectopic pregnancy and Morgan didn’t have to worry about permanently damaging her hands. After that surgery, he was pulled into another. He lost count of how many different procedures he was needed on.

Hours later, things finally started to calm down as the more severe injuries had been taken care of. He was exhausted but knew that he was still needed at the hospital. The worst part was that he still hadn’t seen Claire. He went over to the nurse’s station to see what patient he needed to help next.

“Neil,” Audrey called.

He was glad to see that she was okay, he looked around behind her to see if Claire was back as well.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Long night,” he answered. “You?”

“Same,” she agreed. “It’s been a while since we’ve dealt with something this big.”

He nodded his agreement. “How did things go after I left?”

“You mean how was Claire?”

He rolled his eyes. “Are you really going to start that again?”

She shrugged. “I’m just saying. Shaun and Aaron were taking a tour, you and Claire weren’t with them.”

Frustrated, he said, “If you excuse me, I have patients to help.”

“Neil,” she placed her hand against his arm to stop him. “I’m not trying to give you a hard time.”

“Since when?”

“I saw you two together, how seamlessly you two work together. It’s like you just know what the other needs. So, are you ready to admit that yet?”

He wasn’t sure what to say to her. He and Claire hadn’t gotten a chance to finish their conversation about what they wanted to do about work, and he didn’t want to say anything without knowing what she wanted.

Audrey shook her head, “It’s no secret that you two have a special connection. I pulled her off your rotation because everyone can see that it’s inevitable. I’m trying to help you.”

“I care about her,” he admitted. “Her and I haven’t finished talking about it yet.”

“Don’t wait too long.” She picked up a chart. “She’s with Alex now. He’s pretty upset. They lost a young man about his son’s age. His father couldn’t get there in time. Alex is taking it pretty hard.”

“I can’t imagine.”

They both went back to work helping the less seriously injured. Neil felt the exhaustion weighing him down, but knew he had to keep moving. He hoped that once he was taken off shift, he would be able to find Claire and make sure she was okay, and hopefully finish their conversation.


	4. Chapter Four

After hours of working at the brewery and then in the ER, Claire finally had a moment to herself. She thought about going to find Neil, but first decided to get some air on the balcony. She went over to the railing and allowed herself a moment to deal with everything that had happened. She had just been about to tell Neil that she was in love with him when the earthquake hit. She barely had a moment to think since then.

She thought about the surgery on Marta, the way Neil had looked at her as she brought in the beer engine. Then he had been sent back to the hospital and she had stayed at the brewery. She lost count of how many people she had been able to help. She thought too of those that she couldn’t. The most heartbreaking was Alex’s patient. She had been nearby helping someone else when she overheard their conversation. After he had died, she had gone and sat beside Alex for a while before encouraging him to call his son.

She had driven back to the hospital with him and was surprised when he brought up her and Neil. She had gone with her standard denial that they were just friends. She didn’t want to admit to more until they had decided what they were going to do. Alex hadn’t wanted to hear that. He had asked her what she would’ve done if something had happened to Neil during the earthquake, the regrets she would have. He understood why she was being cautious, but in the grand scheme of things, did it really matter? Thankfully, they had arrived at the hospital and she hadn’t had to answer him. She was swept away in helping the victims of the earthquake.

Leaning against the railing she allowed herself a moment to think about what he had asked. What regrets would she have if something had happened to Neil tonight? She would regret never telling him she loved him, never thanking him for saving her, for always believing in her, for always being there for her. She would regret that she never got to kiss him.

She shook those thoughts away, he was fine. She would get to see him soon. The weight of the night pressed down on her and she gave in to the tears she had been fighting all night. She heard the door behind her open and she moved to wipe away her tears. She looked behind her and smiled when she saw it was Neil. Somehow, he always knew where to find her.

He walked over to her and gently wiped away another tear before pulling her into his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist as the tears started falling again. He ran his hand up and down her back as he tightened his arms around her. He was whispering something in her ear, but she couldn’t hear him, all she could focus on was the beating of his heart against her ear. They were both okay.

She took a step away from him but kept her hands against his waist. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, caressing her face gently. “What about you? I heard about what happened with Alex.”

“It’s been a long night,” she sighed.

“Are you ready to go home?”

She shook her head. “I need to tell you something first.”

“What?”

“I love you.”

He smiled at her. “I love you too,” he said quietly.

“I know it’s complicated, but Neil, I don’t want to regret that we didn’t take a chance while we had it.”

He closed the distance between them and brushed his lips against her. She deepened the kiss, all thoughts from the night disappeared. All she was aware of was the feel of his lips on hers.

Pulling away slight, he said, “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”

“Me too.”

He went to kiss her again but was interrupted when she yawned.

Laughing, he said, “Should I be offended?”

“Sorry.”

“It’s been a long night. Let me take you home. We can figure out the rest later.”

She nodded. She was exhausted, but relieved to be with him. They didn’t figure out anything to do about work just yet, but she felt settled with the fact that they loved each other. Nothing else really mattered. Neil wrapped his arm around her and lead her back into the hospital. She wasn’t sure exactly what the future held, but she knew that if she was with him, she was safe and happy. They had the rest of their lives to figure everything else out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read. I greatly appreciate it.


End file.
